Method of preventing the fraudulent return of periodicals



(No Model.) v f ,v R.-D.BRAIN. OD OF PREVENTING THE PRAUDULENT RETURN or PERIODIGALS-..

No." 402,136. Patented Apr. 30,1889.

THE GAZE TTE.

WITNESSES,

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT D. BRAIN, QF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

METHOD OF PREVENTING THE FRAUDULENT RETURN OF PERIODICALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,136, dated April 30, 1889.

Application filed October 18, 1888. Serial No. 288,018- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it nmy concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT D. BRAIN, .a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in a .Method of Preventing the Fraudulent Return of Periodicals, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a method of preventing the fraudulent return by dealers or agents of newspapers or other periodicals to the publishers as unread and unused matter; and it consists in securing together the sheet-s of such papers or periodicals at one or more points in those portions of the sheets which, for convenience in reading the matter printed upon them, have to be opened or separated in such a manner that by the act on the part of the reader of so opening or separating them he will partially mutilate or change the normal appearance either of the sheets or the fastening device,

so that the paper or periodical will bear selfevidence of having been used, whereby they cannot be returned to the publisher without detection by him that such has been the fact.

stands, newsboys, railroad newsdealers, &c.-

who have contracts with. newspaper and periodical publishers, under which they are entitled to return unread and unsold papers, take advantage of the publishers and return to them a great deal of matter which has been usedand read, and thus avoid payment for the matter upon which they have derived their profit. This is carried 011 to such an extent that the annual estimated aggregate loss to publishers who are compelled to enter into agreements of this sort reaches hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it is to prevent this unfair practice that my invention isdesigned.

It is obvious that my method may be can ried into practice under many forms of construction, varying in simplicity, adaptability, and advantage, and Iwill therefore illustrate in the accompanying drawings a number of constructions, either of which will be found to be feasible and effective in practicing my method.

Figure 1 represents an elevation of arrows paper-sheet with the leaves united at points indicated by dotted lines; Fig. '2, a perspective view of the corner of such a newspaper with the several leaves united; Fig. 3, a fragment of a newspaper with the adjacent leaves opened out, showing the fracture made in one of them by the act of separating the leaves; Fig. 4, a view of the corner of a newspaper with the upper leaf turned back; Fig. 5, an edge view of several leaves with a metallic clamp adjusted to be clamped upon them; Fig. 6, a 'view of a tag with adhesive substance at each end thereof; Fig. 7, a view of the corner of a newspaper, showing the application of this tag; and Fig." 8, a similar view of a newspaper, showing the corners united by a cord.

The letter A designates the newspaper or other periodical, between two or more sheets of which, near the folded edge B, I have applied mucilage, paste, or other adhesive substance, as suggested, at O G.

It will be understood that if it were attempted to open out these leaves one or the other would be torn, asseen in'Fig. 3, leaving the severed fragment intact upon the untorn sheet at the corners and at intermediate points of the paper, as suggested. Atl) and E, I have also similarly united the sheets. In practice the sheets will be uni ted at one or more of these points, according to the pleasure of the publisher. In Fig. a I have represented the upper sheet as cut to form a tongue or flap, F, which is stuck or pasted to the under sheet, and which is torn from the upper sheet when the latter is separated from the former. In Fig. 5 I have illustrated a metallic clamp, G, having inwardly-turned prongs, which pierce the sheets as the device is clamped against them. clamp will answer the purpose if the points are omit-ted, and it will be understood that upon separating the sheets they will become torn adjacent to the clamp. In. Fig. (i I have illustrated another form, in which a tag, II,

of paper, fabric, or leather, is used, its ends being connected. with some adhesivesubstance to make it adhere to the paper when applied thereto, as seen in F1g. 7, in which it The is lapped around the edges of the sheets and stuck to the outer ones. In Fig. 8 I have illustrated still another form, consisting of a cord, I, passing through the perforations in the several sheets of the paper and tied or otherwise connected at its ends.

It will be observed that in each and all of the forms illustrated the cardinal feature is preserved-namely, that of causing the sheets may or may not be used; but they afford a fragile line at which the paper will readily break.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein described method of preventing the fraudulent return of newspapers and other periodicals, the same consisting in uniting the sheets thereof at such point or points as will cause a severance by the act of opening the sheets to secure access to the reading-matter therein.

2. The herein -described method of preventing the fraudulent return of newspapers or other periodicals, the same consisting in uniting the sheets thereof at or near their margin, so that by the act of opening the sheets to secure access to the reading-matter therein a change from the normal appearance of the connection will be effected.

The herein described method of preventing the fraudulent return of newspapers or other periodicals, the same consisting in uniting the margins of sheets at the corners thereof by an adhesive substance, whereby the sheet or sheets'will be torn by the act of opening them for reading.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT D. BRAIN.

\Vitnesses:

M. II. GRIFFITH, JULIA M. GRIFFITH. 

